𝟐𝟕

a/n: cher's outfit for the chapter is above!

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 ━═☆

Charlotte never knew how much she truly missed her bedroom in the Salvatore Boarding House, the Bernards' couch wasn't nearly as comfortable as her delusional positivity made it sound. She stretched her arms, yawning before screeching as she sat up on the bed.

She took the covers off the bed only to find Ginger looking up at her like a deer caught in the headlights, "How did Cassie find it okay to wake up on you biting her toes?"

Ginger continued to look at her intensely before she shook her head and got out of bed, "Easy, you are too cute for anyone to be mad at you. C'mon, breakfast?"

She didn't make it to her balcony before Ginger had beaten her there, meowing in front of the balcony's door, "So that's why you woke me up? Real nice, Ginger."

Charlotte smiled down at him before opening the balcony, he ran up to his food's plate, digging his face inside, "Well, I am gonna go get ready then...," She rubbed her hands together before walking back inside and to her bathroom.

She had gotten ready within a few minutes before getting dressed up and jumping one foot to get her flats on, "All done!" Charlotte smiled, inhaling the fresh air from her balcony as she picked up Ginger in her arms.

"Morning!"

She descended the stairs, greeting Damon once she found him sitting on the couch, "You have met Ginger already at Jenna's barbecue, correct?"

"Correct, what I want to know is what he is doing in my house."

Charlotte scratched the back of her head, smiling innocently. Honestly speaking, it was a tad wrong from her side to bring Ginger here without asking the very owners of the house if he could stay but she figured that they were too nice to let him stay on the streets.

She stuttered, letting Ginger down, "Well, you see...Cora doesn't want him in her house and I got him so he is my responsibility."

"Your responsibility is cleaning its dirty nails in my carpet," Damon replied as she rolled her eyes, muttering, seriously.

"It's just a carpet and cats do that all the time."

"It's an antique carpet."

Charlotte rolled her brown doe eyes, crossing her arms but before replying, she heard the door knock and shrugged, a mocking smile on her face, "Oh, look at that. Did people start knocking here? That's new."

Damon huffed out before following her to answer the door, Charlotte swung the door open, finding none other than Jeremy Gilbert there. The Bernard vampire had only ever opened very brief conversations with the Gilbert boy, knowing who he was and who his ancestors were but it was for Elena. Her friend had explained how she didn't want him involved in any of this and it would be appreciated if they never talked much about the past and how said vampire knew Jonathan Gilbert, his sister, his inventions, and many more things.

"I need to talk to you."

"And why do I need to talk to you?" Damon asked before going to close the door when Charlotte stopped him, shaking her head.

Jeremy glanced at her, appreciating the gesture before revealing, "Tyler Lockwood has to kill someone to activate his curse. He's not a werewolf yet."

"Wow, fascinating," He acted nonchalant before attempting to close the door, pulling Charlotte back that once, "Not enough."

Jeremy pushed back, continuing, "But Mason Lockwood is and he's looking for a moonstone, a special rock connected to the werewolf legend," He sighed, finishing, "That's why he's here."

"A moonstone?"

Jeremy nodded, adding, "And I know where it is."

"And you're bringing us this, why?" Damon asked, exchanging a look with a bemused Charlotte.

He shrugged, questioning, "Do I need a reason? Look, I just want to help, okay?"

Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest, asking, "What did Elena say about this?"

He didn't answer as Damon nodded, realizing, "Oh, he didn't tell her," He turned to Jeremy, raising his eyebrow, "Did you?"

"Well, Elena doesn't want me getting involved in all this," Jeremy shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly before trying to walk into the house but Damon pushed him out, once again.

"And you're a Gilbert and you just can't help yourself," He continued, contemplating whether to let him in or not, "Wow. Your search for life's purpose is as obvious as it is tragic."

"You going to let me in or not?"

Damon and Charlotte exchanged a look before the brunette shrugged and they both stepped aside as Jeremy walked in. Damon closed the door before turning to Charlotte, "If Elena gets mad, this is on you."

"It's better doing this when we are around rather than throwing himself in the crossfire, plus Elena won't be mad," Charlotte stated, reassuring herself more than Damon, "Stop being a chicken."

✵ ✵ ✵

At the Lockwood Mansion, everyone was helping set up for the Masquerade as Serena arranged the masks aside, trying to keep her mind off of her messed up life before someone patted her shoulder, "Matt? Hey, how are you?"

"Oh, I was just going to ask you the same thing, considering Cora just said hi to me and I didn't even know she was back."

Serena shrugged her shoulders, looking ahead of her to find her mother, Jenna, and Carol Lockwood talking, "Well, what do you know...Canada got boring."

"Are you sure you are fine?"

"Oh...I am fantastic," She forced a smile onto her lips, raising two thumbs up.

On the other side of the room, Jenna raised her eyebrows, asking, "You are taking them to Canada? But I thought Serena and Cassie liked it here."

Coralie shrugged her shoulders, sporting a wide smile, "Kids don't know what's good for them. They are going to love it there."

Jenna wriggled her eyebrows, turning away from the Bernard. It was almost suffocating to hear her voice again after all those years but instead of being the girl crying to Merinda about how her mother ruining her life, she was the mother ruining her daughters' lives. Talk about a town where history repeats itself.

✵ ✵ ✵

Alaric arrived with a box of Isobel's research as Charlotte offered Jeremy a plate of homemade fries, "Put some food in you."

"What are you doing here?" Alaric asked, looking at Jeremy as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

Jeremy popped one of the fries in his mouth, answering, "Helping Damon and Charlotte. I'm the one who found out about the moonstone."

Alaric looked at the two vampires, who simply shrugged before he turned back to Jeremy, "Does Elena know you're here?"

"Not exactly."

"So, what did you get?" Charlotte asked as Damon already helped himself, digging into the box Alaric brought before taking out a book.

Alaric answered, tilting his head towards the box, "This is Isobel research's from Duke. Her assistant sent it to me."

Damon hummed along, nodding, "Mmm, Vanessa. The hottie."

"Vanessa, yes," The Saltzman took the book out of the vampire's hands, recalling, "Now, do you remember the old Aztec curse she told us about?"

"Sun and the moon, blah blah blah blah blah," Damon rolled his eyes mockingly.

Just as Jeremey joined them, commenting, "An Aztec curse? Cool."

Alaric crossed his arms, continuing, "Yeah, supposedly vampires and werewolves used to roam freely until a shaman put a curse on them to limit their power," He sighed, finishing, "Since then, werewolves can only turn on a full moon and vampires are weakened by the sun."

Damon wiggled his fingers, showing his daylight ring, and pointed with his thumb to Charlotte's necklace, "Most of them, anyway."

"According to the legend, the werewolf part of the curse is sealed with the moonstone," He showed them a map.

Jeremy took it, looking at it as Charlotte tip-toed slightly to look over his shoulder. It had pictures, showing the story of the Sun and the Moon curse, "What do you mean sealed?" She asked.

"It's a witch thing, whatever seals the curse is usually the key to unsealing the curse," Damon explained.

Alaric suggested, raising his eyebrows, "Maybe Mason Lockwood believes he can use the moonstone to break the curse?"

"If we start believing in some supernatural witchy-woo legend from a picture book, we're idiots," The Salvatore claimed, shaking his head.

Charlotte nodded, shrugging her shoulders, "Fine, who has the stone now?"

"Tyler."

"Can you get it?"

"If it's risky in any way then please don't—"

Jeremy interjected, nodding, "I can get it."

Damon smirked, sighing, "See, now your life has purpose."

"So, do you two believe it?"

Charlotte shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck, "I mean we should take our odds, this is the same book that states a werewolf bite kills a vampire."

"Yep, let's go," Damon finished his drink, walking past Alaric and Jeremy. Charlotte took the empty plate from Jeremy, placed it in the sink before following the three males outside after waving goodbye to Ginger was sleeping on the couch then.

✵ ✵ ✵

"If she could just understand that no one needs her here then my life could go back to its semi-normal...," Serena trailed off, sighing exasperatedly as she turned to Elena, "I am miserable."

"No, you are not."

"Yes, I am," Serena shook her head, "Who am I kidding? I act all tough but she is my mom and legally speaking, she can force me into a plane and take me wherever the hell she wants."

"Well, I won't allow it," Elena turned to her sternly, "You are my friend and I am not losing you anytime soon, okay? And not to Coralie, of all people."

"If Nana Izzie could just crawl out of her grave and put that woman in her place," The Bernard wondered, exhaling sharply before noticing Charlotte and Damon approaching, "There they come, our unlikely duo."

"Hey, Char," Elena greeted the brunette vampire before turning to Damon, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for my baby bro. Speaking of, would you tell yours to stop following me around?" He asked, wriggling his eyebrows just as Charlotte mentally facepalmed herself.

"What's going on?"

"Ask eager beaver," He shrugged, walking away, only to be followed by Charlotte after she sent Elena a small smile.

"Cher, wait."

The Bernard vampire stopped in her tracks, turning to face her niece, "Hey, Serena...Anything I can help with?"

"I am sorry about yesterday," She sighed, apologizing, "What I said was mean and wrong."

"It's fine."

"So, we are cool?"

"We are cool."

Serena nodded before Charlotte rubbed her hands together, clearing her throat, "Well, I am gonna go...I have got to help with something. I will, uh, see you around." Serena nodded, giving her a thumbs up and a forced smiled before the brunette vampire walked away.

Charlotte arrived in mid-conversation as Damon repeated, "Katherine's with Mason Lockwood?"

"We missed it. He got into town right after she did," Stefan claimed, noting, "It makes perfect sense."

"I know, but Mason Lockwood?!" Damon raised his eyebrows, looking between the two brown haired vampires as he voiced his surprise, "Werewolf thing aside, the guy is a surfer. She's got to be using him. She has to be."

"Using him for what?"

"Mason Lockwood's looking for a moonstone that allegedly can break the full moon werewolf curse," The eldest Salvatore revealed, "Maybe Katherine wants it as well."

"Why? Katherine walks in the sun...the curse is nothing to her," Charlotte asked, adding reasonably as she crossed her arms.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Well...no idea. That's the beauty of Katherine; she's always up to something."

Stefan nodded before inquiring, "So, how are we gonna find this moonstone?"

"Jeremy is getting it from Tyler."

"Why would you involve Jeremy?"

Stefan walked past Damon before Charlotte held his arm, making him stop, "Look, I know it's wrong but we can't not involve him. Doing this with us knowing is better than him going behind our backs." He shook his head, taking her hand off of his arm before walking away.

"This went better than I thought it could."

✵ ✵ ✵

Matt was hanging up lanterns, outside as Tyler stood next to him, holding the ladder, "She's this amazing girl one minute and then this raging, jealous freak the next."

Tyler sighed, revealing, "Look, you know what I think of Caroline Forbes," He paused before blurting out, "She's an insecure, neurotic, bitchy little twit."

"Hey!"

He saved himself, replying, "But the girl's got heart. She means well," Tyler stated, "You just gotta take the good with the bad sometimes."

"Yeah...what about you and Serena?"

"Don't."

"You know her mom is in town?" Matt asked, climbing off the ladder.

"Yep."

"You know she is miserable right now?"

"Yep..."

"You know you are a dick?" Matt finished, crossing his arms as he shook his head at his friend, "What's wrong with you two?"

"Nothing...we are just drifting apart," Tyler said, rubbing the back of his neck, "We both know that and we are not doing anything about it."

Matt rolled his eyes, "You can't expect her to be miserable and fight for you at the same time? When will you ever man up?"

"Hey, you are—"

"Her mother being a bitch is one thing and not knowing where you two stand is another, just cut the drama," The blond boy interjected, saying before stating, "I'm gonna go get an extension cord. I'll be right back. Think about what I said."

"Hey man," Jeremy greeted right after Matt left, cutting off Tyler's train of thoughts.

"Hey!"

Jeremy started, not beating around the bush for a second, "Hey, so I did a little research on that stone you showed me."

He looked alert, inquiring, "What? Why?"

The Gilbert shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly, "I don't know. Curiosity, boredom."

"What did it say?"

"Well, it turns out that it's part of this Aztec legend but I want to make sure it's the same kind of stone," He said, seeming hesitant as he asked, "You think I could check it out again?"

"Nope. I gave it to my uncle."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I'm done with legends and curses," Tyler stated, shaking his head, "I don't want anything to do with it, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah sure. It's probably...Just, uh, stupid folklore anyways. Forget it."

"Okay, have you seen Serena anywhere?"

Jeremy nodded, pointing inside, "Yeah, she was sorting out the masks a few minutes ago."

"Thanks."

Stefan, Charlotte, and Damon had been listening to the entire conversation. They exchanged looks at the end, Damon was pissed, but Stefan just shrugged it off along with Charlotte before they walked away from there.

✵ ✵ ✵

Damon came up with the bright idea of using Bonnie's psychic slash witch abilities to find out whether Mason gave Katherine the moonstone or not. So, that was why he was dragging her away from any prying ears before she stopped him, "Okay. This is as far as I go."

They stopped and Damon let go of her arm, "Okay."

"What do you want?"

"A favor."

Bonnie scoffed out, shaking her head, "Like that's gonna happen."

"So predictable," He pursed his lips in a straight line before turning to Stefan and Charlotte, "That's why I brought them."

"I know how you feel about helping us out, but since you're the one that linked Mason with Katherine, we finally have an opportunity to get an upper hand on both of them so, just hear us out," Stefan said, seemingly desperate as Charlotte nodded encouragingly, agreeing.

"Pretty please."

"I'm listening."

Stefan's phone started ringing and he spoke up, "I have to fill Elena in on what's going on," He turned to Charlotte, "Make sure he plays nice, please?"

"Sure," Charlotte nodded before Stefan walked aside and answered his phone.

Damon put it out simply for Bonnie, "All you have to do is touch Mason Lockwood again to see if he gave Katherine the moonstone."

"My visions don't work like that. I don't get to ask questions," Bonnie shook her head, dismissing the idea.

He rolled his eyes, "How inconvenient," Charlotte nudged him, forcing a smile on her face before he sighed, "Okay, let's talk about that little witchy juju thing you do with me. You know, the fun one where my brain bursts into flames? What is that?"

"That's me giving you an aneurysm," Bonnie stated before going ahead with explaining it out, "Your blood vessels go pop, but you heal quickly; so, I do it over and over again."

"Is it vampire specific?"

She shrugged, answering, "It'd work on anyone with a supernatural healing ability."

"Good," Damon nodded, "Good, good."

"We are not torturing anyone," Charlotte turned to Damon, shaking her head.

"I'm not gonna help you hurt him."

"Look, both of you," Damon turned to them as Charlotte disagreed on a part of his plan, "Mason Lockwood's a werewolf, Katherine's evil. They're the bad guys."

"But torture?"

"Really? You're gonna play morality police with me right now?" Damon raised his eyebrows, shaking his head at her, "Let me put it to you another way; they're a threat to Elena."

He addressed Bonnie that once, "So you, witch, are gonna get over yourself and help us."

Stefan walked back over to them, in time to say, "Yeah, he meant that as a question with a please on the end."

"Absolutely."

✵ ✵ ✵

They were running the plan as Mason walked out of the Lockwood Mansion and toward his jeep, just as Bonnie was trying to remove a table from the back of the truck and he ran over to help her.

"Hey, how did you get stuck doing that by yourself?"

"All the guys bailed. Something about draft picks," She said, chuckling at the end, "I don't know, I don't speak that language."

"Here, let me give you a hand," Mason grabbed the table and started to pull it out. She looked around and then at him before using her aneurysm spell on him

She watched him grabbing his head and yelling in pain before falling onto his knees as she said, "I'm sorry."

Damon walked past Bonnie and kneed Mason in the face, he fell to the ground, unconscious. Just as Damon opened the passenger door and signaled for Bonnie to get in, Charlotte bent down, taking Mason's keys out of his pockets and threw it to Damon.

Bonnie got in Mason's jeep as Damon and Stefan put Mason in the trunk of the jeep. The eldest Salvatore got in and drove off with Bonnie in the passenger seat, leaving Stefan and Charlotte in the Lockwood parking lot.

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte and Stefan walked back inside with boxes of masks as Elena turned to Stefan who shook his head. Tyler walked into the room, asking, "Anyone seen Mason?"

Stefan shrugged, answering, "He, uh, he took off. He said he wasn't sure when he'd be back."

"So weird," Tyler shook his head before walking out of the room.

Stefan's phone went off, he received a text from Bonnie, Look in well. Old Lockwood property. Charlotte looked over his shoulder, reading it before she and Stefan turned to Elena, the brunette human walked toward him but Stefan shook his head and walked away, followed by Charlotte.

She pulled her phone out, texting Elena, We are looking for the moonstone. In the well, Old Lockwood property. I will keep you updated.

Stefan walked over to the well and looked down into it as Charlotte asked, "Is Bonnie sure about this?"

"I don't know but we have to try," Stefan said before pulling the lock off the iron grating, knowing her fears from confined spaces, he turned to her, "Stay here, okay?"

He jumped onto the edge of the well and Charlotte handed him the flashlight, "Okay...just be careful."

"I'll only be down there for a minute," Stefan assured her before jumping into the well.

Charlotte held her breath but sighed in relief once she heard Stefan safely splashed at the bottom. He looked down at his arm and saw vapor rising around where the water touched him, his hands, and were arms burning.

Stefan pressed himself up against the stone and shouted in pain, "Charlotte!"

"Stefan?!" Charlotte looked down, unable to see him as he was pressed against the stone, "What's going on, Stefan!"

"Charlotte!"

"I am coming down there," She shook her head, attempting to climb inside before he yelled out once again.

"Don't! There's vervain!"

She jumped off from the edge of the well and picked up the heavy chain on the ground, just as Elena came running, "What's going on?"

"Stefan...he is stuck in there and the well is full of vervain," She stuttered, shaking her head at herself before asking, "Can you go in there?"

"Yes, just quickly!"

Charlotte tied the chain around Elena as the human readied herself to jump, Caroline made it there in time before Elena jumped inside, "I heard your scream...what happened?"

"Just help me get her inside, the chains are rusted," Charlotte asked before Elena hooked the chains into one of the links, "We have got you, okay?"

Caroline helped lower her into the well before Charlotte asked, "You ready?"

Elena nodded, "Yeah," She was lowered into the well with the help of Charlotte as she slowly reeled her down.

She momentarily lost hold of the chain before Caroline helped her and they both took it back, just in time, "We are sorry!"

"It's okay, keep going. Come on!" Elena called back before they continued lowering Elena down into the well. She found Stefan but he was unconscious.

"You took off in a blur, what happened?" Bonnie asked, having just arrived while down in the well, Elena unhooked the chain from around herself and put it around Stefan.

"I heard her scream," Caroline answered before feeling the chain move underneath her hold, "Elena, what's going on down there?"

"Pull him up!"

Charlotte and Caroline started to pull the chain up from the well as Bonnie untied Stefan and, with the help of Charlotte, placed him on the ground, "Wake up, Stefan! Wake up," She tried to shake him away, groaning in pain once her hand came in contact with his clothing that was literally drenched in vervain.

"Elena? Ready for you!" Caroline called out, letting the empty chain fall down slowly.

"Hold on! I need to find the stone," Elena shouted back, groping around the cracks in the well for the stone.

"Hurry!"

She continued searching in the vervain-filled water before finding a wooden box, she picked it up, "Hold on! I think I found it!" Elena grabbed the box and a snake inched towards her. It wrapped onto her but she screamed, throwing the snake off of her.

"Elena! What's going on?!" Caroline yelled out after hearing her scream.

Another snake had crawled up her arm. She backed up against the wall and pulled the box out of its hiding spot. Elena tied the chain around herself again, calling out, "I got it. Come on! Bring me up!"

The blonde vampire reeled Elena up. In the process, Elena left the flashlight in the well. They help her out once she was finally on her feet, she looked down at Stefan beside Charlotte, who was failing at waking him up before she ran up to him, "Oh, god! Stefan!"

She cradled his head in her arm, calling onto him, "Stefan! Stefan," She saw a rock nearby and grabbed it. Elena cut her hand with it as Charlotte pulled herself up and turned away along with Caroline, Elena placed her wrist to Stefan's mouth and he drank from her.

"I've got the stone, Stefan," Elena said, reassuring him, "Stefan, it's gonna be okay, everything's gonna be okay."

✵ ✵ ✵

Damon rolled up Mason's body in a blanket as Stefan and Charlotte walked into the house and Stefan showed his brother the moonstone, "All this for that?"

He tossed him the moonstone as Charlotte realized, "You killed him? I don't even know why I am surprised at this point."

"Had to be done," He shrugged nonchalantly before sending a message with Mason's phone, reading it aloud, "Carol, big opportunity in Florida, I'm gonna be gone for a long time. Will send for my things once I get settled. Much love, Mason."

"Let's get rid of the body," Stefan spoke as Charlotte looked around for Ginger, sighing in relief once she found him curled up on a faraway couch.

"Oh, last number dialed," Damon wondered in a sing-song tone, "I wonder who that could possibly be?" He pushed redial.

Stefan attempted to stop him, "No, no, no! Don't provoke her!"

"Damon, hang up right now!" Charlotte mouthed out, struggling to get the phone out of his hand before Katherine answered, expecting it to be Mason.

"Mason, you should have been here an hour ago."

Stefan continued to try to get Damon off the phone, but Damon pushed him back. The latter slapped his hand and walked away in frustration as Charlotte rolled her eyes at the whole interaction, "Wrong boy toy."

"Damon. For once you've surprised me. I assume Mason is with you?" Katherine spoke assumingly as Charlotte picked Ginger off the couch, waking him. She kept an ear on the conversation, knowing it won't end well.

"He's right beside me!" He answered enthusiastically before pointing out, "Although, his heart's across the room."

"You shouldn't have."

"I've had a very busy day today," He stated, repeating his events aloud, "I killed a werewolf, found a moonstone," Damon paused, asking, "Hey, did you know that he hid the moonstone in the bottom of a well full of vervain?"

She didn't answer, allowing a smirk to grow on his lips, "I guess he didn't trust you very much. Although, he did love you. Poor guy," He asked, his smirk still intact, "Hey, where are you? Because, you know, I could bring him over. Last goodbyes and all that."

Katherine replied, "You have no idea what you've just done."

"Aww, did I put a kink in your master plan? I'm so sorry," He mock apologized.

She chuckled, asking, "Do you honestly believe that I don't have a plan B?" She continued, ever so confidently, "And if that fails, a plan C, then a plan D, and...you know how the alphabet works, don't you? Send my love to Stefan."

She hung up before Damon turned to face his brother and friend. Charlotte clapped her hands, mockingly, "Good job, really good job, Damon."

✵ ✵ ✵

Serena sat on her porch outside, contemplating going inside, knowing what her mother had to say and she was no longer in a mood to fight before she heard her mother's high-pitched voice calling over. She rolled her eyes, getting up and into the house.

"There you are, sweetie! I just printed our tickets, we are leaving in the morning," Coralie revealed, smiling from ear to ear, "I was thinking about attending the Masquerade but it's always boring so whatever."

"We are not going anywhere with you—"

Coralie interjected, rolling her eyes, "Honey, stop that nonsense. Jacob is waiting for us."

"Who the hell is he supposed to be?" Serena crossed her arms, asking.

"My fiance," Her mother smiled, answering, "I know that everything is happening so fast but you will love him. He is such a great guy."

The brunette shook her head, claiming, "I don't have to do any of this and if you like him then go be with him. Leave us on our own, it's what you are used to doing."

"Honey, you can't live without me."

"Yes, we can," Serena responded, "We have been living off Dad and Nana Izzie's savings for a while now and I will get a job at the Mystic Grill. Don't worry, our life won't stop just because you are selfish."

Coralie's lips parted as she asked, "Why can't you ever let me help you? You never needed me in your life and this hurts, okay?"

"Hurts?" Serena chuckled unironically, shaking her head, "You know what really hurts? The one time where I needed you to be my mother was the same time you walked away...You told our Nana that our Dad was grounding you and Mystic Falls isn't the place for you...That's when I knew that I could never depend on you, ever."

"Your Nana is a liar, I never said that," Coralie shook her head, claiming, "She just—"

"Will you just stop lying?!" Serena cut her off, yelling out, "I heard you with my own damn ears!"

"Serena, baby, I—"

"Get out."

"What?"

"Get out," Serena repeated herself, "Get out of here, go get your plane, go to your fiance, and forget you ever had daughters."

"If not going with me is your choice, fine, but I can't leave Cassie—"

"Yes, you can," She cut her off, stating, "I will be damned if I let you take my sister and ruin her as you did me."

Coralie gasped out softly before sprinting upstairs, she closed her bag and grabbed her phone off of the nightstand before descending downstairs, "It's a damn good thing that you how fucked up and ruined you are," She said before slamming the house's door after her.

Serena flinched after hearing the door's slam before sitting down on the staircase, she hugged her knees, resting her chin on them before leaning against the wall, allowing her stray tears to roll down her cheeks. She might have cried more than she did when she lost her father and great grandmother but it hurt, it wasn't the relief she expected.

The only thing that could have been heard throughout the hallow mansion was her wracked sobs before Cassie's footsteps down the stairs. She stopped two steps from where Serena was sitting before she sat down and hugged her sister, "Is she gone?"

"Yeah..."

✵ ✵ ✵

Back at the Salvatore Boarding House, Charlotte had just gotten a call from Jeremy, informing her of what happened to Jenna, "It's Damon...He was extremely reckless but how is she now? Getting any better?"

"The doctors said she is lucky, she is going to make it, yeah."

"Thank God," Charlotte sighed, "Take care of yourself, okay? I will call you tomorrow," He replied shortly before she hung up and placed her phone in her back pocket, awaiting Elena outside the Salvatore's House, knowing what she was about to do and remembering how she will need a friend right after that.

She decided not to listen in on her conversation with Stefan, respecting their privacy. The brunette waited outside for a few minutes before Elena walked out, tears rolling down her face as she made her way to her car.

"Elena?"

"Charlotte," Elena sobbed out, placing her knuckles against her lips as she tried to control her sobs, "It's over."

Her eyes instantly begin to glisten as the scent of her despair joined Elena's. She held her friend close to her chest, rubbing her back as a ferocious sob wracked Elena's body uncontrollably and Charlotte whispered soothingly, "It's going to be okay, it will all be fine."

✵ ✵ ✵